In recent years, the availability of advanced location-specific agricultural application and measurement systems (used in so-called “precision farming” practices) has increased grower interest in determining spatial variations in soil properties and in varying input application variables (e.g. planting depth) and fertilizer and other liquid applications in light of such variations and at the appropriate location during the planting operation. However, the available mechanisms for measuring soil properties are not effectively locally made throughout the filed or not made at the same time as an input operation (e.g. planting). Additionally, commercial solutions for applying liquid have included applying liquid on top of seeds in the planting trench, which may cause deleterious effects such as “burning” (i.e., over-fertilizing) seed. Other liquid application solutions have included opening a separate trench in the soil surface (disposed between the planting trenches opened by the row unit) and depositing liquid in the separate vertical trench, which may result in underutilization of applied fertilizer.
Thus there is a need in the art for a method for monitoring soil properties during an agricultural input application and for effectively applying liquid during the planting operation.